Copy editing

Once your story or content is well-structured, it’s time to shift focus from what you’re saying to how you’re saying it. Copy editing serves as a vital step that bridges the gap between a great rough draft and a polished, professional piece of writing.

Whereas structural editing looks at the big picture, copy editing zooms in on the mechanics, flow, and clarity of your work. The goal is to make your writing seamless, readable, and engaging while ensuring that your unique authorial voice still shines through on every page.

What I look for

When I provide copy editing services for your manuscript or content, I meticulously review your text line by line to improve:

• Clarity and readability: Smoothing out awkward phrasing, tightening wordy sentences, and ensuring that your message is easy to understand.
• Consistency: Checking that details remain the same throughout (e.g., character traits, timeline facts, hyphenation choices, or capitalisation rules).
• Grammar and mechanics: Correcting syntax, punctuation, spelling, and typos that disrupt the reading experience.
• Tone and flow: Ensuring that transitions between paragraphs are natural and that the tone remains appropriate for your target audience.
• Style guide adherence: Aligning your text with a specific industry style guide (e.g., Chicago, AP) or your custom brand guidelines, if required.

What you’ll receive

Copy editing is a collaborative process meant to give you full control over the final product. When you work with me, you’ll receive:

• A tracked manuscript: A version of your document showing every edit and suggestion transparently using Track Changes, allowing you to accept or reject revisions easily.
• In-text queries and suggestions: Notes in the margins where I explain the reasoning behind specific changes, offer alternative phrasing, or point out minor logical inconsistencies.
• A custom style sheet, as needed: A reference document detailing the specific spelling, capitalisation, and formatting choices used in your project to ensure consistency going forward.

Is this right for you?

Copy editing is what you’re after if your plot, arguments, and structure are completely locked in, and you now want to ensure that your prose is grammatically flawless, highly readable, and professional before it goes to print or is published online.

Let’s polish your writing until it flows effortlessly.

Send me an email at jasmin@caret-and-compass.com to enquire.